Students throughout the UK will receive the results of their International Baccalaureate diploma over the next few days. However, while it will be at the forefront of their minds, the qualification remains slightly less well-known than the A-level to many students and parents (despite being offered in the UK since the 1970s), and presents different opportunities and challenges to candidates.

Targeted at students
between 16- 18, the IB occupies the same space in the curriculum as A-levels,
taking two years of full-time study to complete.

“The qualification takes
a holistic approach,” says Paula Holloway, Principal of St Clare’s school,
Oxford which offers the IB. “Every part of the curriculum makes sense in
relation to everything else; it’s a very different kind of qualification.”

The IB is split into six
subject areas, three of which students take at a standard level, with the
remainder studied to a higher level. The subject areas themselves cover
students’ native language; a foreign language; humanities subjects such as
economics, psychology, geography or history; sciences including physics and
biology; mathematics; and music, theatre and art. Prospective students also
have the option to go “back up the ladder”

instead, as Holloway puts
it, taking a third language, another science, or another humanities subject.

In addition to the core
subjects, students must follow three further programmes: a 4,000 word extended essay
project; Creativity, Action and Service (CAS), spending at least 50 hours
working in the community; and Theory of Knowledge, which encourages critical
thinking.

As with A-levels,
students are largely assessed by examinations.

However, the IB is not
modular – there are no AS and A2 levels – so those on the programme must manage
their time effectively from the start. It can be a demanding process (students
spend an average of 5 per cent more time studying than their A-level peers),
and with a minimum pass mark equal to 260 Ucas points (a B and two C grades at
A-level), it might also be tempting to view the IB as an elite qualification.
But Holloway doesn’t subscribe to this idea. “We have a range of students
taking it, who gain an enormous amount from it and gain a rounded education
rather than one that’s partial and selective.”

In fact, for those who
take it on the real benefit of the diploma is in its breadth, she says. “It can
suit young people who really don’t know what they want to do, for whom the
specialisation associated with A-levels isn’t appropriate.” The emphasis on languages
is also crucial, she argues. “We live in a world that’s far more interrelated and
interactive than it used to be; having a proficiency in languages is something
that’s valuable in terms of employment later on.”

Indeed, employers do
regard the IB as a useful qualification in many situations. “It’s a great
qualification to have on your CV because it is internationally recognised,
allowing candidates to apply for jobs globally,” explains Michael Gentle,
head of consumer marketing from Monster UK and Ireland. “Employers value it because
it embodies a wide range of academic subjects, so often indicated as a rounded
education.”

Likewise, universities
can value an IB. “One of the IB’s strengths is that many social science degree
subjects value the breadth of the qualification,” says a spokesperson from
the University of Warwick’s admissions department. “Economics degrees, for
instance, like the fact that IB candidates study at least one course in mathematics
in addition to the range of courses from other disciplines.”

“Students with the IB
perform well in their degrees,” adds undergraduate admissions manager Wendy
James, from London Metropolitan University.

“We have no preference
between IB or A-level qualifications when considering student applications,”
she stresses, but notes that a 2011 study by the Higher Education Statistics Agency
(HESA) found that approximately a fifth of IB entrants with a full-time degree
achieved a first class honours award compared to 14.5 per cent of those with A-level
or equivalent qualifications.

Of course, as with every
choice in higher education the IB won’t suit every student, and those with a
clear idea of the career path they’d like to follow may find the A-level or
vocational routes more appropriate. But for those whom the IB fits, there are clear
benefits. “I think it produces exceptionally well-rounded young people,” says
Holloway. “The IB is a programme that requires consistent effort and I think it
teaches them to balance the different aspects of their lives pretty well.”

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